Short-turning gear.



No. 859,110. I PATENTED JULY 2,1907.

' J. A. REED.

SHORT TURNING GEAR.-

APPLIOATIOH FILED D110. 22, 1906.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR 42mm BY f v Affomey rm: nanms rrrsns cm, WASHINGTO"! o c UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES A. REED, OF FITZGERALD, GEORGIA.

SHORT-TURNING GEAR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 2, 1907.

Application filed December 22,1906. Serial No. 349,157.

This invention relates to short turning gear for vehicles; and it consists in the novel construction and combination of the parts hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of the short turning gear. Fig. 2 is a side view with two of the wheels removed. Fig. 3 is a rear end view.

A is the front axle, and B is the rear axle. O are the road wheels mounted on the end portions of the said axles.

D is the front support, and E is the rear support. These supports are preferably leaf-springs, and they are connected to the body of the vehicle which is supported by them in any approved manner.

F is the front fifth-wheel, and G is the rear fifthwheel. These fifth-wheels are of any approved construction, and their circle-plates are pivoted together by pins f and g respectively, The said front and rear fifth-wheels are arranged respectively between the supports and axles at the front and rear of the vehicle. H is the reach or perch which has its ends secured to the said supports and the upper circle-plates. This reach may be formed of a single bar, but it is preferably formed of two bars arranged side by side and curved outwardly so as to be farther apart at their middle portions than at their ends.

I is a segment secured to the front axle, and J is a similar segment secured to the rear axle. These segments are arranged concentric with the pivots oi the fifth-wheels, and their end portions project over the axles, and are provided with lugs 'i and j respectively. These segments are also preferably provided with flanges or grooves.

K are two bands of thin sheet steel, or other equivalent thin sheet metal having sufficient elasticity. These two bands are crossed at the middle part of the reach and have their ends provided with screwthreaded tightening bolts 7c and nuts k which engage with the lugs 't' and j of the segments. The spring bands rest against the curved portions of the segments and are partially supported by their flanges. These bands are twisted so that their middle portions lie in a horizontal plane and are supported by the middle portion of the reach. The two bars which form the reach support the middle portions of the spring bands better than a single bar, and the flat surfaces of the spring bands do not cut or abrade the reach bars.

The adjusting nuts enable the spring bands to be set up from time to time if they become stretched.

L is a portion of the vehicle shafts which are connected to the front axle in any approved manner.

When the front axle is ,moved by the shafts in turning the vehicle, the rear axle is moved to a corresponding extent in the opposite direction by means of the spring bands and segments, so that the vehicle can be turned around in a very short space.

N are projecting stops on the lower sides of the seg ments which strike the reach and prevent the road wheels from jamming when the vehicle is being turned in the shortest possible space.

What I claim is:

1. In a short turning gear, the combination, with two supports, and a front axle and a rear axle pivotally connected with the said supports; of a reach secured between the two said supports, segments secured to the front axle and the rear axle respectively, and two twisted bands of thin spring metal having their middle portions crossed and supported in a horizontal plane by the said reach and having their end portions arranged in vertical planes and secured in engagement with the said segments.

2. In a short turning gear, the combination, with two supports, and a front axle and a rear axle pivotally connected with the said supports; of a reach formed of two bars arranged side by side and curved outwardly so that their middle portions are wider apart than their end portions which are secured to the said supports, segments secured to the front axle and the rear axle respectively, and two twisted bands of thin spring metal having their middle portions crossed and supported in a horizontal plane by the two bars of the said reach and having their end portions arranged in vertical planes and secured in engagcment with the said segments.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

JAMES A. REED. Witnesses:

MARY ORR ANDREW, HENRY G. TAYLOR. 

